Infected
by ShadowedLove97
Summary: They were going to die. They were going to die in this post-apocalyptic world and Aleks knew it. But when a possible cure is found, The Creatures and friends set out on a voyage to save humanity! Will they be in time? Includes: Immortalfox/JJaleks love triangle, Jeamus, Scmanex, plus some hints of PewdieCry, Snund, and RussxRed. WARNING: MENTION OF SUICIDE (later) AND DARK THEMES.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Hunted**

He ran, pumping his legs faster…faster…faster. He had to get away; he couldn't let them catch him. Trees flew by in a blur. He nearly collided with a pig, almost ran into a skeleton, and nearly plummeted to his death in a ravine. Everything, everything seemed to be in his way. There seemed like no place to run, no place to hide.

There was a hissing sound as an arrow flew past his ear. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm going to die. I'm going to die and I can't do a fucking thing about it._ An arrow lodged into his shoulder-blade. Searing pain enveloped his back and he stumbled and slid on the ground, sharp rocks and sticks tearing at his clothing and slicing his skin. Blood oozed out of the wound and cuts, they stung from the dirt that was lodged into them. Tears prickled at his eyes that he wiped away furiously on the sleeve of his shirt. He couldn't die now, not like this.

This was wrong. He shouldn't be in this mess. If his armor hadn't broken a few hours ago he would've been fine. Hell, he'd probably be the attacker, not his assailant! After so many wins, after all those years it took to finally achieve victory, it was going to be stolen away again. He was going to die and someone else was going to be standing with one foot resting on his dead body while they sucked in all the glory like a leech. To make matters worse _he was going to die by his best friend's hand_ and there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do to stop him.

He tried to move his arm, his body, but the pain flared up in his back. It blinded his senses, making a pitiful whine escape his pale lips and causing his vision to blur. His body quivered from the pain and it was all he could do to keep from passing out. He heard a familiar giggle come from behind him, but it was lacking the bubbliness it used to contain. Instead it sounded sadistic and sinister. "How does it feel getting your ass humiliated, Aleks?"

He gave a dry laugh, "Hah. You haven't won yet, you still have Ant-"

"AntVenom is dead, Aleks. I killed him a few hours ago after he attacked you." The brunette cursed at the words. He was dead, he was dead and his attacker was going to win.

"When did you become so cruel Eddie?" Aleks sneered; his brown eyes alight with anger. "You never could kill me before. You were weak."

"People _change_ Aleks. I got better and you just don't want to admit that I beat you." Eddie snickered, "You always hated losing."

"What do you know Eddie?!" Silence fell upon them. The pain in his back was unbearable now. He couldn't move at all; he really was at the mercy of his friend. He broke the silence with a jeering voice, "That's right; _nothing_. You know nothing. Killing_ changes_ you, Eddie. Do you really think you will be the same after killing me?"

"It's not like it matters. If I can kill AntVenom then I can kill you just as easily." Eddie's foot came down hard on Aleks back. The pain intensified and the pale male cried out, tears spilling out of the brown abyss of his eyes.

"You fucker!" Aleks spat out. He coughed and blood rose up into his mouth, coating his tongue with the metallic taste. "Does our friendship mean nothing to you?!"

Eddie only laughed, "I threw that away when I signed up for this tournament. And I know you did too."

"Then kill me. Kill me now if you can honestly say that you threw that away." He waited for another arrow to pierce him in the neck or the head, but it didn't come. Instead what pierced him were Eddie's words as they cut at his heart.

"Fine; I'll take off your head." The bow was tossed onto the ground near his head. Aleks tried to reach out, but the pain in his shoulder stopped him. The bow would be useless anyways; it wasn't like he could whack the other with it. It was just a stick compared to a sword.

Then an idea came to him; he just needed to reach into his inventory, his other dimension, and grab something that could help him. A sword wouldn't be useful in this situation; he wouldn't be able to get it in position in time to block. What he needed was a bucket of lava or at least a bucket of water so that he could temporarily blind Eddie and escape.

Escape? Where would he escape to? Eddie would find him and with armor and a better weapon than him; he would surely die in a confrontation with the other. But he had to try; it wasn't like him to give up so easily. Reaching out he willed his hand to reach into the other dimension. He knew he had a bucket of water somewhere; he just had to find it…His hand bumped into something cold and slick. A smile played on his lips. He found it; his saving grace.

Eddie's foot stomped on his back this time. He cried out and almost lost his grip on the bucket. His vision blurred and his inventory flickered before becoming stable once more. The Russian made himself stay awake. Unconsciousness was a death sentence. "I don't know what you're reaching for, but it won't help you; nothing will."

"Are you sure about that?" He threw the bucket over his shoulder.

Eddie didn't see it coming. He fell backwards, his sword gripped in his hand. Aleks took this opportunity to stand up, but the pain from the arrow stopped him from moving further. He reached behind and ripped it out of his shoulder. Blood sprayed from the wound but he didn't have time to worry about blood-loss. He had to get away and focus on not dying.

He reached into the other dimension again and took out a stone sword before he started to run. The brunette heard the Latino curse as he came after him, his breathing ragged. His own breath was uneven as he ran. The pain in his shoulder wouldn't go away and his vision was starting to blur again. He felt light-headed and dizzy; he needed to stop and rest but with Eddie in pursuit he didn't have the opportunity. Maybe he should turn and fight; he had nothing to lose now anyways. If he didn't die by Eddie's hand he was surely going to die from blood-loss or infection.

He slid to a halt and hoped that Eddie wouldn't have some sense and cut him down right then and there. The brunette whipped around and pointed his sword at the incoming Puerto Rican. "Let's end this here and now."

The older male slid to a halt and raised his own sword. "Okay; but you won't win."

Aleks wasn't the best fighter, he had to admit, but it was obvious that in a one-to-one battle against Eddie that he had more skill. His sword clashed with Eddie's; a metallic sound rang out as Eddie's sword vibrated, making it hard for the Latino to accurately use his sword. The brunette used the opportunity and used a backwards-slash. The stone sword roughly cut into the skin of Eddie's chest. Blood spewed out of the wound, staining Aleks' hair, face and clothing. But he welcomed it, the warmth that came from the blood. He missed feeling it on his body.

Eddie recovered quickly, bringing down his sword and aiming for the skinny brunette's bad shoulder. The Russian brought up his sword to block it and winced. The attack had been stronger than he thought it would be, causing painful vibrations to course through his arm and into his shoulder-blade. He pushed on and ignored it, blocking again and again as Eddie swung his sword with more force each blow. Finally it was too much and the sword was forced out of his hands. Eddie grinned wickedly, this was the end.

Just as he swung downwards Aleks brought out his secret weapon and blocked the attack. "_What?_! How did you get a diamond sword?!"

Aleks laughed, "You underestimated me Eddie!" He looked the Latino dead in the eye. "_Never_ underestimate a previous champion." He swung, hitting the other's sword out of his hand. It clattered a few feet away and hit a tree. Eddie turned to grab it but Aleks raised the sword and put the tip of it on the other's throat. "Don't move."

The black-haired male eyed the sword wearily. "I guess you beat me."

"Guess? I did beat you. Goodbye, Eddie. This has been fun." He brought his sword back before swinging forwards and slicing open his friend's neck.

* * *

"FUCK!" Aleks laughed as he heard Eddie slam his hands down onto his desk in frustration.

"I warned ya," More chuckling, he felt like he could barely breathe now. "You were messing with the wrong champion."

"God-fucking-dammit. I_ had_ you!" Eddie giggled with frustration clearly in his voice. "And then you pulled some hax-bullshit and pulled out a diamond sword! Where the fuck did you even _get_ that?"

"I found it dude! I found it in the chest near the castle!" Aleks exclaimed, his laughter having died down.

"I call horseshit!" Aleks raised an eyebrow at his friend's accusation, even though he knew that the other couldn't see it. "I looked through all those chests! You're a cheating sack of shit!"

"How could I cheat, dude? The server doesn't let me and you would've seen if I did anyways!" Aleks proclaimed, feeling indignant from his friend's accusation.

There was a few seconds of silence before the other exclaimed, "Goddammit I don't know! I call cheats!"

"Oh, you wanna go right now, huh? I'll show you who's cheating!" Aleks threatened with a sneaky smile on his face. He loved playing with Eddie. He felt more relaxed with him. And even when they did fight, it was never serious and felt more playful. It was a welcomed change from his and James' fights, which were more intense than his and Eddie's. Though they were still joking, there was still a level of seriousness in their remarks. With him and Eddie there wasn't.

"Yeah, yeah let's go! Another round, and this time I'll win!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Come at me bro!" Aleks taunted with a cocky grin on his face.

"Don't worry, I'll fight you! But we gotta pick a new map first!" The Latino giggled again and Aleks almost joined in. The hyperactive youtuber's giggle was quite contagious.

"Right, right," He moved his character until it was looking at a sign. "How about this one?" he inquired.

"Um, which one?" Eddie's character was looking around but he didn't seem to find it. "I can't see which one you're looking at."

"This one right h—" He was interrupted by his door being slammed open by a flustered James wearing a green backpack. "What the fuck? Why are you here James?"

"James is here?" Eddie inquired, sounding absolutely confused. He heard the other get up and exit his room. Aleks took off his own headphones and turned around so that he was facing James and Eddie, who had just appeared behind the other youtuber.

"There's…An emergency…Meeting at…The Creature House…We-We need both of you…There…" James was out of breath and his words were coming in short gasps. He seemed worried and scared, something was definitely wrong.

"W-Why? I'm not even a Creature!" Aleks exclaimed with confusion and exasperation in his voice.

"It's not just for the Creatures. It's for all of our friends too." He was still breathing heavily, but it wasn't as bad as before.

"James why are you out of breath?" This time Eddie spoke, causing the other to turn around and look at him.

"I had to abandon the car a few miles back…Hopefully you won't have to see why." The Russian and the Puerto Rican exchanged looks. James saw them and shook his head before either could even attempt to speak, "No questions. Just come on we need to go! Grab a cell phone and a few snacks, nothing too heavy. We need to head out and get to the house."

The half-Latino turned and pushed passed Eddie. They both exchanged glances again before following suit. "I wonder what he's talking about," Aleks mumbled to Eddie as he walked down the stairs.

"I don't know but this isn't like him. Whatever is happening must be pretty bad…" His tone was hushed as well. They both felt uneasy, something was definitely wrong.

Once Aleks pushed open the door and set a foot outside he was instantly blinded by the sun. He flinched and put his hand in front of his face, trying to let his eyes readjust after being in the dark for so long. Once his eyes readjusted and he could see again he looked around. The road was quite empty, which was a surprise. It was _never_ empty. The brunette started to feel quite uneasy; the inexplicable silence and emptiness of the street was creepy. He shivered slightly before a comforting hand rested on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Eddie, whom also looked quite uneasy. Aleks put on a smile despite his anxiety, trying to calm his friend. He let his own hand rest on top of the Latino's before pushing his hand off and catching up to James, whom had pulled ahead quite a ways.

"Why is it so empty?" Aleks' voice sounded too loud in his ears amidst the silence blanketing them.

"Steven will explain it when we get to the house." James said simply, staying vigilant.

The brunette wanted to inquire more on the subject, but he had a feeling that this was the best answer he was going to get from the older youtuber, so he remained quiet and only talked to Eddie in hushed whispers for the time being.

* * *

At some point Aleks had started wandering away from James and Eddie. He had a tendency to go off alone and explore when he found something interesting. So when they came up to a crossroads, Aleks had thought he spotted a figure at the edge of his peripheral vision and, despite knowing that he should probably stick with the group, decided to follow it and see where it led him.

Cautiously he walked towards where he thought he saw something but there was no one there. "H-Hello?" His voice was hesitant and scared. He felt so open without Eddie and James next to him. Again a figure flickered in his peripheral vision. The skinny brunette turned towards where he thought he saw the figure, but only saw a small path between two houses. A trashcan sat near the siding of the red house on the left while a bush grew near the white house on the right. His instincts told him to run but his curiosity got the best of him and he walked towards the houses. "I-Is anyone there?" he called out again, his voice shaky. Again there was no answer.

He shrugged as his fear and uneasiness left him; he was just being paranoid, no one was there. But just as he turned around, a high-pitched, shaky, scratchy voice called out to him from behind, _"Help…Me…"_

He whipped around and fell over at the sight of a small, pale male. His pupils were huge, only the smallest bit of blue and white could be seen in his wide eyes. Scratches and blood covered his body and clothing while blond hair knotted and fanned across his face. Skinny hands reached out at the brunette, clawing at his legs and feet. _"Please…Help…"_ His longish nails started digging into Aleks skin. He cried out as a surprising amount of pain pierced his legs.

"I-I'm sorry I can't help you! I-I can't…" He looked around to see if either James or Eddie was near but he couldn't see them. The young male must have wandered off too far. Tears started to stream down his face and he tried to kick the person who was clawing at his legs. He heard them cry out and he used the opportunity to get up and turn around, but was instantly brought back down onto the ground again when it started scratching at his legs. Hopelessness and fear started to envelope him and the tears wouldn't stop falling from his eyes. Desperately he wished someone would come and help him. "EDDIE! EDDIE, PLEASE HELP ME!"

He started to sob as the creature kept clawing at his legs, the pain nearly crippling now. The young youtuber kept calling out his friend's name, even though it was drowned by his sobbing. Just as he was about to give up he heard the creature cry out. Two arms picked him up, setting him down on someone's lap and cradling his body close to their chest. "You're alright now, t-the creature is gone now…You're okay." He knew that voice! Looking up he saw Eddie's worried face. He felt his pain, fear and relief wash over him and started sobbing again, burying his head in the Latino's chest.

"It hurts Eddie…It hurts." He whined, trembling now. The Russian felt Eddie's hand stroke his brown hair as he shushed and rocked him a little.

"You're alright now…" Aleks heard footsteps coming closer to them before they stopped somewhere near his feet. He gave a little cry when he felt a hand poke at the torn skin of his calves. He felt Eddie's arm hold him tighter. "Don't worry, it's just James. He's wrapping up your legs. It'll hurt but I'm right here."

"Don't'…I-I want to see how bad they are first." He murmured, trembling as the pain spiked again.

"Trust me; you don't want to see them…" It was James' voice this time. "Look, you can take a look at them when we get to the house. But first we have to focus on getting there. Can you stand?"

Aleks didn't have to think about it. "N-No…I-I can't…" He stuttered shakily. He wearily glanced at where the man-creature had been and flinched when he saw its body. Its skull was crushed in with blood was pooling around him; a terrible smell was being emitted from the open skull. He felt the urge to vomit but kept it down. James was standing near his legs, which were wrapped up in gauze; only small amounts of blood were leaking through in random places. The older youtuber looked worried and scared, even.

He crossed his arms. "We'll take turns carrying you then." James looked up and towards Eddie, "Will you carry him first, then we'll switch and I'll carry him in a few miles?"

Aleks looked up at the Latino's face. He was nodding, "I'll carry him as long as I can."

The brunette hated the thought of having to be carried there but he knew he couldn't stand with his wounds; besides, even if he_ did_ protest he knew his friends would insist anyways. He was still trembling from his encounter with the creature and the pain, and he could still feel it's cold, grimy hands as it clawed at his legs, tearing at his flesh and spilling his blood…Tears threatened to spill over again, so he wiped them away with his arm. It was bad enough that he had to rely on his friends already; he didn't need to cry about it. "T-Thank you…" He mumbled hoarsely.

"Don't worry about it Aleks. We would never leave you behind, especially since James says there are more of them out there." Eddie slid the other gently off of his lap, being careful not to let the other's injured legs to hit the ground too hard. "He calls them the "Infected" or something like that." The Latino put one arm under the Russian's knees and the other arm supporting his up back and under his armpits. He hoisted him up gently, still very much cautious of hurting his legs any further and causing him pain.

"M-More?" The thought of another creature like that caused him to shake violently. He clung onto the other's shirt, twisting it in his hand while flashbacks from when he was attacked bombarded his mind. Tears filled his eyes and a small cry escaped his lips. He felt Eddie's arms tighten and he was lifted up so that Eddie could bury his head in Aleks' neck.

"It's alright, you'll be fine. I won't let them hurt you again." Eddie's words comforted the brunette some, but he still clung onto his shirt and wouldn't look up.

"I-I don't want to be protected." He protested, despite his fear.

"I know you don't, and if you weren't hurt than I would let you protect yourself but Aleks, with your legs do you really think you could do anything against them?" Eddie was right and Aleks knew it, but he felt like his pride was wounded by letting the other protect him. He knew that the Latino understood and didn't want him to get hurt any more than he was, but it made him feel so helpless; so…_weak._

"Come on, let's go." James ordered, "And Aleks don't whine. I know you're scared and want to protect yourself, but you're injured. It sucks for all of us, not just you."

He turned and walked away. Aleks was still shaking, but his tears had stopped. He knew James was right, but the thought of being protected still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

~0~0~0~0~

**Hey, I'm Flo, the author of this fic! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter.c: I tried to add extra spacing between each paragraphs but FFNet doesn't like that, so it's impossible. I'm sorry if it's hard to read!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Separation P1**

Aleks' legs felt like they were on fire and every little jolt to them were like adding gasoline to the flames. He felt like he was in a daze; most of the time he was dozing in and out of his pain, only responding if James or Eddie asked him if he was alright. Every few miles they switched off carrying him, but they did so gently as to not cause the brunette anymore pain. He hated the fact that his friends had to do this for him, but they were adamant and he knew this was the only way he was going to get anywhere.

It was Eddie's turn again to carry Aleks. However as the brunette was being transferred to the Latino they bumped one of his injured legs, causing him to cry out and tears to prickle at the edges of his eyes. James and Eddie exchanged worried glances before the Latino inquired, "Maybe we should rest and look at his legs again?"

Aleks moaned and shook his head, "...Don't...I'm fine..." He knew that he wasn't, he was in so much pain-on top of that he felt weak and ill-but he didn't want to slow them down any more than he was. He just wanted to get to the house so that he could figure what the hell was going on. Besides, what if the Infected found them? The thought sent shivers down his spine.

"Don't be stupid Aleks. You've gotten worse and we're tired. We need to rest for at least for a few minutes." Eddie explained. He sighed, his tone becoming more gentle. "It'll be fine. It's only for a few minutes; nothing will happen."

He couldn't protest to that, but he still didn't like the thought of it. Grudgingly the brunette murmured, "...O-Okay..." Hesitantly, with his fear rising up in him, he whispered, "D-Don't let them get me..."

Eddie paused for a second, surprised at the fear and shakiness in Aleks' tone. He looked down at the Russian, whom looked so fragile in his arms. He could feel him gripping at his shirt and how much he was trembling. Did that one attack really shake him up that much? "Of course..."

He glanced up at James and nodded. The other youtuber nodded and gently grabbed the undersides of Aleks' knees. The brunette flinched and gave a small whimper, squeezing his eyes shut. "I-It hurts..."

"I know but we have to check," James cooed, helping Eddie lay the brunette on the ground. Once Eddie was sitting on the ground, with Aleks' head on his lap and his legs on James' lap, the youtuber gave Aleks an almost apologetic look before saying, "This is going to hurt, you ready?"

The pale young male bit his lip and buried his head in the fabric of Eddie's pants, "Y-Yeah..." His hand shot out and grasped the older male's warm hand into his. He squeezed it and looked up into the eyes of the Latino, "Don't let go."

Eddie nodded and made a motion with his own head indicating for James to start taking off the gauze. The other nodded and slowly started to unwrap Aleks' legs. At first it didn't hurt that much, but when the outer layer of gauze was removed and James started removing the blood-soaked strips that were touching the wound itself the pain instantly tripled. The Russian had to bite back a cry and his hand squeezed tightly around Eddie's as he tried to bare through it. The Latino nearly removed his hand from Aleks due to how much it hurt, but he reminded himself that his pain was nothing compared to his friend's. The older youtuber stroked Aleks' warm cheek, murmuring to him that the pain would stop soon, that it would be over and they'd be back to walking; however, the younger youtuber didn't hear him, too preoccupied with his own pain to listen to his friend's soothing words.

Once the gauze was completely off James' eyes widened, surprised. He whistled and stated, "Eddie, you might want to take a look at this."

The raven-haired youtuber looked down at Aleks, whom was trembling and still holding Eddie's hand rather tightly. He glanced up at the older youtuber, his eyes clouded with pain, confusion and slight fear; it was as if he wanted to ask what was up. Eddie just gave him a shaky smile and removed his hand from the other, only murmuring that everything was fine before gently moving Aleks' head off of his leg and standing up. "Is it bad?" He asked as he walked over to James.

"Take a look for yourself," the other answered as he stood up, gently removing Aleks' injured legs from his lap. He stepped away from the other's legs before taking off his Cookie Monster beanie and wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

Eddie shot him a weary glance before bending down to inspect Aleks legs. He instantly recoiled as a foul odor hit his nose. "Holy shit," he exclaimed, inspecting the wounds more carefully now. The bleeding had worsened, the skin around the wounds were red and looked like they were inflamed and when he touched one of them Aleks gave a small cry. "Sorry," he mumbled, still inspecting the wounds. The youtuber frowned and noticed discolored, whitish-green liquid leaking out of the wound in some spaces. Beforehand the wounds had looked bad, with his skin nearly shredded in some places and blood seeping everywhere, but now... "James, are his wounds...?"

"Infected? Yeah, I think so." The half-Latino walked over to Eddie and sat on his knees next to Eddie. "This might be a good thing though."

"Wha-James! How can you say that this is good?" He looked at the other as if he were crazy. Standing up suddenly, before the younger male could say anything, he started to pace. "Fuck, what are we going to do? If only we had your car or if ours wasn't being fixed then maybe this wouldn't have happened...Shit."

James sighed and stood up, grabbing a hold of Eddie's upper arms and staring him straight into his panicked-filled brown eyes. "Listen to me, if his wound really are infected, then that means he wasn't, well, he won't _turn_ into an Infected. Either the wound heals right away but he starts to feel sick, or it doesn't heal or bleed at all and starts to infect the area around it and bubble. _That's _how you know if he has the virus, but since his wounds are _infected_ then he can't possibly have the virus. Get it?"

Eddie nodded slowly, still unsure and yet not quite understanding what the other male was saying. "Y-Yeah, I think I understand..."

"Good, now stop panicking and-"

"Am I gonna turn into one of them?"

They froze upon hearing Aleks' terrified voice. James let his arms drop and they slowly turned to look at him. The brunette was obviously scared, trembling with his eyes wide and one hand clenched into a shaking fist. Eddie exchanged glances with the Cookie Monster-youtuber before slowly walking towards his friend. "Aleks...?" He leaned down next to his friend slowly, as if he were going to attack. Suddenly two hands grabbed onto his famous Hipo-shirt and quickly brought him to his knees, a head buried in the fabric of his shirt.

"P-Please, don't let me turn into one of them...Please..." He could feel Aleks' trembling as he kept his head buried against his chest. Unsure of what to do, Eddie hesitantly wrapped his arms around the brunette, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Don't worry, you won't turn into one of them; I would never let that happen. You don't have the virus...It's okay." He stayed in that position until he could feel the other stop shaking. Pushing Aleks back gently, he gave him a soft, reassuring smile. "Better?"

The other nodded, "Y-Yeah..." Aleks gave a weak smile. He stared into the depths of Eddie's eyes, feeling himself becoming lost in them. The other was staring back, as if he, too, were losing himself. He could feel his mind become hazy and cloudy. A desire was rising up in him but he wasn't sure what it was, exactly, but still had an urge to do what it dictated. He started to lean in closer...Closer...Closer...

"Shit, Infected!"

James' shout broke the two out of their daze. Wide-eyed, Eddie looked at Aleks' unwrapped legs and then to where James was looking at. Shit they looked like they were coming up fast; he didn't have time to redress Aleks' legs. "How many do you think there are?"

"Too many. Eddie I want you to take Aleks and run."

"What?! No, I can't let you fight them alo-"

"Eddie!" His sharp tone of voice surprised the older youtuber. "You don't have a weapon and Aleks' injured. Even if you did stay you'd only get in my way." James reached behind his back and grasped the handle of the katana that was strapped to his backpack. He pulled it out of its sheath and positioned it in front of him, it's blade gleaming, hungering to slice Infected flesh and to taste their blood. "Now go!"

The Puerto Rican hesitated for a few seconds before nodding and scooping up Aleks, whom gave a small yelp when the other grabbed him. Eddie started running, going as fast as he could with Aleks in his arms.

Aleks looked back, watching James as he fought. A downwards slash, a kick. Block, slash, dodge; blood sprayed from each wound. A swipe at James head; he dodged and stabbed the creature in the head. More blood sprayed as he removed the sword from the Infected's head. More of the Infected started to surround him, slashing and clawing. Soon James was out of Aleks' sight.

"James!" Aleks screamed, wanting to help out his friend. "Eddie, put me down! I have to help!" He tried to pry his friend's hand off of his legs, but he kept his grip firm. "Eddie, we have to help him!"

"We can't! You heard what he said; we'd only be in the way." The words tasted bitter on his mouth, but he knew they were true.

Aleks wouldn't take no for an answer, though. He kept trying to pry Eddie's hand off of his chest, but he couldn't. Soon he started to bang on his friend's chest, hoping to get him to drop him at least. "C'mon, let me go!" He started to sob now, a feeling of fear for James and his own sense of helplessness washing over him. "I-I want to help," he choked out. "Let me go...I-I need to help him..." He hit Eddie's chest one more time before burying his head in it. He was so helpless, so useless. Why did he have to wander off before? Why couldn't he be of any help? Why did he have to be protected?

Eddie didn't say anything, but he understood how Aleks felt. He wanted to help too, but he knew that they couldn't do anything. With one of them injured and neither of them owning any weapons, all they'd be is prey to the Infected and liabilities to the only one who _could _fight. It sucked, but he knew it to be true. So he kept running, and didn't stop until they were well away from where James had been.

* * *

After a few miles they stopped by a familiar car. As Eddie slowed his pace, he recognized the car to be James'. The windows were smashed in and the right headlight was broken, shards of glass laying on the ground. As he approached the car he felt his legs wobble and give out under him.

"Eddie!" Aleks cried out, grabbing onto the older male's shirt so that he wouldn't fall. "Eddie, are you okay?"

His head was bowed as he panted heavily, fatigue starting to settle in his legs. "Yeah...I'm fine...Just tired...That's all." The Latino looked up and smiled, "See?"

Aleks looked away, "Y-Yeah." For some reason the smile made his heart race. Or maybe that was the infection? He wasn't sure anymore.

After a few minutes Eddie straightened up, Aleks still in his arms. "We shouldn't be too far from the house now. Let's-"

"Eddie!"

Two hands had grabbed the raven-haired youtuber from behind, dragging him backwards. He felt pressure against his neck, making it hard to breathe. He struggled, trying to break free but unable to do so. His hands tried to pry off the arms choking the life out of him, but he was becoming too weak and dizzy. His eyes fluttered closed and his hands dropped to his sides as a great chasm of darkness swallowed him whole.

Aleks hit the ground hard. The wind was knocked out of him and he nearly blacked out from the pain when his exposed, wounded legs hit the ground. His vision swam before him and he was vaguely aware of the creature choking his friend. Slowly he reached out towards the general direction he heard the struggling, but he could barely move let alone help. "Ed...Eddie..." His outstretched hand wobbled then fell and darkness consumed his vision.

* * *

"We have to keep moving." That was the first thing he heard when he came too. Vague; he heard a voice that was vague and muffled. It was coming from somewhere to his right. Who did it belong to? It sounded so familiar...

"But Aleks-" It was Eddie's voice. He seemed so far away. Was he alright?

"He'll be fine when we get to the house." James; was that James' voice?

_Wake up. I need to wake up._ Light; he could see light. It was blinding, it hurt.

No. That didn't hurt; something else did, but what? He couldn't ignore it, the pain was all consuming. A memory flashed through his mind. Hands reaching out, scratching and tearing...

Tearing at what? There was so much blood; he remembered the smell of it. It was so sickening, so sweet, and so _pungent._ Where did the blood come from?

Wide, empty blue eyes stared back at him. Pain engulfed him. _He remembered._

A scream escaped his lips. Tears threatened to spill at the edges of his eyes. _It hurt._

"Aleks! Aleks, it's okay! We're safe!" A voice, it belonged to Eddie again. Blindly he reached out, finding the warmth of someone's hand. It was familiar, the hand belonged to Eddie. It had too, right?

He pulled them closer, wishing to find comfort in their presence; to find comfort in _Eddie's _presence. They were pulled close to him easily. He could feel their warmth as he buried his head in their leg. He sobbed softly.

"Al...leks?" That wasn't Eddie's voice. It was familiar, but different and not one he had heard recently. But he knew it; he knew that voice so well.

"Jakey?" He looked up for the first time since he had awoken. Deep, brown eyes stared back at him. He had missed them, those eyes, and he didn't even realize it... "H-How...?" Aleks looked around; he was in the middle of a road. Three people stood around him, with the fourth-Jakey-next to him. A blond with blue eyes, a wrapped up neck, slurm shirt, and a shotgun stood in the very back. He knew that person to be Seamus. His eyes swept over to the next person. Short, black hair, dark brown-nearly black-eyes, brown jacket, and a blood-soaked katana...It was James. His eyes roamed again, this time to someone so familiar to him, someone he's lived with for a good while. Black hair, deep brown eyes, a familiar grey slick jacket and a purple shirt with a green Slime on it, trembling from relief and fear; this was Eddie. And then he turned to look at Jakey. Silky brown hair, deep, cavernous brown eyes that were filled with worry and confusion, a green shirt, and a hand in his own while the other was wrapped up in gauze and clutched a pistol; yes this was definitely Jakey. But why was he there?

"We heard you scream." It was Seamus who answered. His eyes were cloudy and cold and he was massaging the base of his neck. Did it hurt?

_I screamed? _Something was wrong, he didn't remember screaming...Did he do so after he blacked out? Another spasm of pain wracked his body. He nearly cried out. Looking down he saw Eddie wrapping up his legs. The Latino shot him an apologetic look before continuing.

"When we got there you were unconscious and Eddie...Well he wasn't breathing." This time it was Jakey. He looked up at the brunette, still unsure of what to say. And then Jake's words hit him. _Eddie hadn't been breathing._ His head snapped towards where his best friend was. He wanted to say something, to ask if he was alright, but Eddie answered before he could even say a word.

"Don't worry, I'm fine now. My throat just hurts a little." Aleks knew that Eddie was lying. His friend's voice sounded too hoarse for his throat to hurt only a little bit, but he didn't press him on the matter.

He nodded then looked back at Jakey. The brunette was still looking at him, and rather intensely too, as if he thought that Aleks would disappear before his very eyes. "When your legs are patched up we have to get moving again. Want me to carry you?"

In all truth he didn't want _anyone _to carry him. He didn't want to be _useless _anymore. But maybe if it was Jakey who carried him, then maybe it was okay...Only if it was him, though. Eddie has already done enough for him. He knew that the other was tired, maybe even injured after that last attack. The Latino didn't need to be bothered by him. "No, I don't _want _anything. But since I have no choice you can carry me. Get a move on, peasant!"

Jakey chuckled, "I'm not your slave."

"For now you are; until I can walk by myself."

"Oh really?"

"Yea."

"Basedgod."

"That's me. Don't wear it out."

A chuckle, "You're a dick, you know that?"

"So are you."

They both laughed this time. "Maybe, but not as much as you."

Something tugged at him. This conversation felt familiar, as if he had a similar one before. He let the feeling pass, it feels like it's been a good while since he has talked to someone as freely as this. "Oh, so you're going to play it that way?"

Aleks felt a hand gently stroke his cheek, brushing away the chestnut colored locks from his face. "You know, it's been awhile since I last saw you..."

The Russian felt his cheeks start to burn. "Y-Yea, I know." He felt himself getting closer and closer to Jakey, it was just like what happened to him and Eddie earlier...Yet again he could feel some sort of desire rise up in him, and yet again he didn't understand it. He just felt the need to follow it, to do what it dictated. Who knows, maybe he'd like it, where this was going.

"Aleks?"

It was Eddie. Dammit, _again_ he was denied this desire. "Hm?" He turned towards his friend with a questioning gaze.

"What were you...?"

"Guys, guys we have to move." Everyone looked over at the sound of Seamus' voice. His eyes were narrowed and he had his gun raised. "Whatever Infected James didn't kill have decided to get some revenge."

"Motherfuck-!" James positioned his sword in front of him. "I really hate these bastards."

"Shit." Jake stood up suddenly. Aleks nearly fell over when Jake moved, surprised.

"Jake, take Aleks and Eddie and run." Seamus ordered, his eyes still trained on the Infected. "You have a pistol, I need you to protect them."

"N-No! We're not seperating, not again." Aleks glared at James and Seamus. "We can all just run. C'mon, what's a shotgun and a sword gunna do against 50 Infected?!"

"It'll fuck 'em up is what a shotgun will do," the blond replied.

"Yeah. And it's not a sword it's a katana!" James snapped.

"It doesn't matter! A shotgun is practically useless close-range. And James, I _know _you're not that good with a sword...katana..._whatever _you want to call it." Aleks interjected, getting frustrated now. "And all Jake has is a pistol. A _pistol;_ yeah it's better than nothing but knowing _him _he'd probably miss most of his shots. What kind of protection is that?" He paused for a second, feeling the tears entering his eyes again. Aleks wiped them away furiously. "I don't even _want _to be protected anymore! I _hate _it! I hate it as much as being injured!"

Eddie bit his lip, looking away, "But Aleks-"

"_No _Eddie! Can't we all just get back to the house together? I-I don't want anyone to get injured..." He looked away, holding back his sobs. He knew he was being whiny but he hated it. He hated the situation he was in, he hated the Infected, he hated the thought of separating; he hated _all of it._ "Can we all just_ go_?" His voice came out as a whisper this time. Everyone exchanged hesitant glances before Seamus lowered his gun and James his katana.

"Fine. We can-" James was cut off by Seamus.

"Fuck! Well too late now!" There was a gunshot and a shrill cry as Seamus fired and shot an Infected in the head. Blood sprayed, coating his face and hair. "Come on we have to move!"

Jake fired a few shots from his pistol, covering Eddie as he ran and scooped up Aleks into his arms. "Come on guys let's go!"

James sliced open the heads of a few Infected, their shrill wails hurting his ears. He nearly dropped his katana as he turned and ran after Eddie and Aleks. Jake stopped firing his own pistol and ran, shooting anything that threatened to get in his way. Seamus bashed an Infected in the head, causing his skull to cave in, and punching others as he wove his way out of the mob. Quickly he caught up with the others as well.

"Well this went to shit pretty quickly." Seamus commented.

Everyone mumbled in agreement. Aleks just held onto Eddie's shirt, closing his eyes and wishing that he was just dreaming, and that it wasn't real.

-0-0-0-0-

**Note, the Infected in this fic are similar to the Infected in the Last of Us but I didn't intend that! In fact, it's purely coincidence! I made this fic before I even heard of Last of Us.c: It is a great game.**

**Also, some hints of Jaleks/Immortalfox in this chapter.c: I hope you enjoyed! Obviously I don't own any of them, I can't own a person!**


End file.
